Many people are confused by
5 similar looking spiders - the harmless Huntsman, Wolf
Spider, Southern House Spider (Kukulcania), Fishing
Spider and
the notorious Brown Recluse. Occasionally, the Huntsman Spider, Heteropoda
venatoria (Linnaeus), is misidentified as a Brown Recluse. However, the
colour pattern on the carapace of this species is reversed, with a light
median mark on a dark background, and adults of this spider are much
larger than a brown recluse. Huntsman spiders are large, long-legged spiders, measuring up to 15 cm across the legs. They are mostly grey to brown, sometimes with banded legs. Many huntsman spiders, especially Delena (the flattest), and including Isopeda, Isopedella and Holconia, have rather flattened bodies adapted for living in narrow spaces under loose bark or rock crevices. This is aided by their legs which, instead of bending vertically in relation to the body, have the joints twisted so that they spread out forwards and laterally in crab-like fashion ("giant crab spiders"). Both Brown (Heteropoda) and Badge (Neosparassus) Huntsman spiders have less flattened bodies. Huntsman spiders, like all spiders, moult in order to grow and often their old skin may be mistaken for the original spider when seen suspended on bark or in the house. The lifespan of most Huntsman species is about two years or more. Predators of Huntsman Spiders include birds and geckoes, Spider Wasps, nematode worms and egg parasites (wasps and flies).

Here's some photos sent in by
viewers. All photos are copyright to their
owners and may not be reproduced without permission.
Please choose a
section.

Huntsman spiders are not found in the United States any further north
than Southern California. They can not survive but in the most tropical
of situations which are hot all year round, or in desert scrubland like
the Olios giganteus on my website. That is one thing to consider before
labelling a spider from the states as a Huntsman. Most are imported, and
fewer than 3 species are common enough to be called native to this
country, besides some smaller Olios species, which are found in the
southwest (not San Francisco, which is in Northern California). While
you may in some rare instance find a huntsman up north, it'll die as
soon as season changes occur. - Paul Day

28 January, 2016: Hi Glen! Hope you are doing well. I'm sending you this email because I found this spider in my house. I'm a bit worried about it being some type of brown recluse because of the terrible damage they can do to people.
I've looked through several pages on the internet and yours seem to be the best for this kind of stuff.
I am from Mexico City by the way. I hope you will be able to help me.
Kind regards,
Martín

Click for
a larger view

.

Reply: Yes I
believe they are both Heteropoda (huntsman spiders) -
glen

19 February,
2016: Thank you very much Dr. Glen. I have here two spiders, the cephalothorax of image 10524716 is darker than the second image. It seems they belong to genus Heteropoda. Could it be right?

Click for
a larger view

.

Reply: This is one of the huntsman species, - glen

10 July, 2015: Nong Khiaw Village, Laos.
10 cms across.
Mark

..

Reply: This is one of the huntsman species, - glen

10 July, 2015: Hi,
My husband took this picture today of this spider and we were curious to know what it is. We live in Northeast Florida, very near the beach. He works outside, and has for most of his life, but has never seen a spider this big before. He said he could hear it scurrying around and that it was very aware of him being there. He would move around and it would follow his movements. Not aggressive though. Oh, and for scale, the log is about 6 inches in diameter, and about 6-7 inches tall. The shell is bigger than a large man's hand. It was taken in a darkened outdoor structure, so sorry about the lighting quailty. He has a few more pics of it, but all are about the same as this one.
Thanks for any help. (P.S He left it alone and it crawled along its merry way).
Kelly

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Reply: This is one of the huntsman species, - glen

2 July, 2015: Hello,
I was wondering if you could help me identify this spider? Looks like it could be a brown recluse. This was found at a home in Mesa Arizona.
Thanks,
Stuart

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Reply: This is one of the huntsman species, not a recluse. - glen

27 May, 2015: Hello,
I was wondering if you could help me identify this spider? Looks like it could be a brown recluse. This was found at a home in Mesa Arizona.
Thanks,
Stuart

..

Reply: This is one of the huntsman species. - glen

27 May, 2015: Found this guy on my door last night, he filled up the bottom of a 12 ounce solo cup. He was on my screen door. Very fast. Released him on the golf course so he could thrive. Just curious if it is a huntsmen spider or a wolf spider.
This is Phoenix AZ
thanks and have a great day!
cs

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Reply: This is one of the huntsman species. Don't often see the
green ones though!! - glen

29 April, 2015: Not sure if I am sending this to the right e-mail address, found two on your site!
I would be most grateful if you could ID this little fella that I found in my garden in Crete, Greece.
With thanks.
Carol

..

10 April, 2015: Hi Glen, thought you would enjoy these pics. What an amazing little creature, such detail. I caught him for pictures, but will release him soon (away from my house) ;-) Danni

..

11 February, 2015: Hello Glen,
We are in Northwestern AZ and are trying to identify this spider: Brown Recluse, Desert Recluse, Southern House Spider, or Other? You'll put a family dispute to rest!
Very large spider - the size of the Palm of adult hand! Thank you!! Love your site!
Gina

..

2 February, 2015: Hi Glen,
Can you identify this spider for us please - it was on our BBQ yesterday
morning - we are located in Blackbutt, Qld. I was later able to get a
better photo when the spider moved on to the back of our motorhome. Can
send spider on motorhome at high res if you wish.
Photos attached.
Regards,
Ted

18 December, 2014: Hi, Gerew ~
I hope you can identify this spider. They frequent our house, typically running across the ceiiling. They are yellow/gold, large (3-4" legspan), fast and often jump. Are they dangerous? Poisonous?
I live in SE Utah.
Thanks if you can help.
Roberta

..

17 January, 2015: Hi,
Found this spider in a blue gum plantation in the South east of South Australia. Could not identify and have never seen before my whole life living down here.
Do you know this one?
Thanks
Peter

Click for
a larger view

..

18 December, 2014: Found this in a warehouse on the Wirral that receives materials from all over the world

..

18 December, 2014:

Click for
a larger view

..

Reply:
This is a huntsman - glen

18 December, 2014: He may still be in my room. I didnt want to harm just wanna know if i have to take extra precautions.
Additionally i live in Trinidad
In a fairly suburban area bordering on forested areas.
The moulding seen in the pic is about 1 and half to two inches wide.

Click for
a larger view

..

Reply:
This is a huntsman, Isopeda vasta - glen

18 December, 2014: Hi Glen

Click for
a larger view

..

18 December, 2014: Found this in a warehouse on the Wirral that receives materials from all over the world

..

18 December, 2014: What kind of spider is this?

..

18 December, 2014: Hi Glen,
I took this last night from inside my house. It is a great opportunity to see the bottom of the Arizona version of the Huntsman spider. Thought you might like to share!
Ron Richards
Fountain Hills, Az.

Click for
a larger view

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18 December, 2014: Enjoy!
I found both of these giant spiders while serving a mission in Camarines Norte, Philippines.
Thanks

Click for
a larger view

..

18 December, 2014: May I know what spider is this? Thanks.

Click for
a larger view

..

Reply: Looks
like some sort of local huntsman
- glen

28 November, 2014: Hi!
We are in Costa Rica, in Nosara, and we found this spider in the doorframe in our house.
When disturbed, it threw two legs on one side up into the air. It is less than an inch long, and quite orange. What kind do you think it is?

..

Reply:
Hi Glen,
Thank you very much for your prompt answer! Highly appreciated! I've
made some additional searching and I think that it could be a Fireback
huntsman - at least it is highly similar to the description in that
guide (attached).
Kind regards,
Lukasz

8 June, 2014: Dear Glen,
Last month I was visiting Australia and I went to Daintree National
Park. Amongst dry leaves of Drynaria sp. I've noticed quite big spider
(photo attached). Unfortunatelly I do not know what kind of species it
is. I would be grateful if you could help me.
Thank you a lot!
Best regards,
Lukasz

Click for
a larger view

..

Reply:
Looks like a huntsman
- glen

8 June, 2014: Hello!
My friend was on a trip to Costa Rica and found this spider above her bed. Would you please help me identify it? For scale, she said from toe to toe it was about the length of a hand. I've attached the image to this email. Thank you!
- Beth G

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Reply:
Looks like a huntsman
- glen

8 June, 2014: Good morning,
Any idea what this spider is? A friend of mine found it at her house. House is in Ballito, KZN
Best regards
Charlene

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Reply:
This is a green huntsman spider (Micrommata virescens) is a spider with a palearctic distribution, of the huntsman spider (Sparassidae)
family. M. virescens is a species occurring naturally in Northern and Central Europe, including Denmark.
It does not build a web, and hunts insects in green vegetation, where it is well camouflaged.
- glen

8 June, 2014: Hi
I live in spain near Cadiz I found this in the wood store on the door, I think spiders (most) are very interesting but I have not seen a spider like this before, if you can ID it I would appreciate the info.
Thanks Craig

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26 May, 2014: Hiya, I've lived in my new place for 8 months now and I have killed at least 30 of the spiders in the pic below. I do not like killing spiders but I have two curious dogs and I am not sure if these are poisonous. Any help with identity, characteristics, affect bite would have on a dog...etc would be great! They tend to congregate in the crack of my front door and occasionally on the ceiling.
Thanks so much,

..

26 May, 2014: What spider is this?

..

26 May, 2014: I can't identify this spider that was sitting on my lounge room wall for some hours before I decided I didn't want to go to bed with it still there. I thought it was a Huntsman at first, but it was more bunched up rather than spread out flat & it didn't move sideways when disturbed. It's abdomen went up off the wall which I always thought was a trait of White Tails? Then it looked like a Wolf Spider, but you don't or rarely find them inside right? Plus with that white tail of hers...?
Can spiders cross breed at all?
Can you please help me identify what this Spider is? I'd very much appreciate it. BTW It was still wet from insecticide in the first photo.
Cheers David

..

26 May, 2014: Hi Glen,
This is 'Fang'. I managed to get his cage clean. Instead of a jar I used a cylinder of paper and coaxed him into that. Much easier because it is flexible and it can't hurt him. It didn't stress either one of us :-) Not the greatest picture but the best I could get. Thanks again.
Wendy

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Reply: This is some sort of
huntsman, not a brown recluse - glen

26 May, 2014: I live in Phoenix, AZ and came across this spider on the side of our house, at night a little over an hour after sunset. I looked at many pictures of brown recluses on your website but am not 100% sure the one we had was a brown recluse. Can you please answer this question for me so I know for sure what kind of spider I encountered.

..

Reply: Looks like a huntsman of some
sort - glen

6 May, 2014: These large ones were in the Dominican Republic – SW part of
the country about 30 km from Haiti. Had to have been about 6-7 cm
from leg tip to leg tip. Any ideas? Even Family would help me.

.

26 January, 2014: Hi there!
I came across your website on line. I was wondering if you might help me identify this spider (picture attached). This picture was taken by a friend of ours, here in Cape Town, South Africa. I thought it may be a Huntsman Spider, but for the dots on its bum, or a Field sac spider, according to some of the pictures I looked at online this morning? But we just aren’t sure, and I would really like to know. J
If you are able to help, or send me in the right direction to identify it myself, I would be grateful!
Many thanks,
Alisa

.

Reply: This looks like a huntsman - glen

19 December, 2013:
Good day
Could you assist in the ID of this spider.
Its very aggressive and the second one, we find them in the kitchen.
I live in South Africa, gauteng area.
Thank you

19 December 2013: Hi,
We currently live in Perth Western Australia (Floreat Suburb). What kind of spider is this?
Thanks,
Scott

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Reply: This could be a huntsman
but not positive - glen

19 December 2013: Here is a spider we found in Southern Afgan, any idea what it is?
is it dangerous?

..

Reply: This looks like a huntsman
but not positive - glen

19 December 2013: Hi glen,
found this spider in Dubai.
is it dangerous?

..

30 October 2013:
Hello, This little guy showed up in my room one day. Actually my niece
saw it first. I had never seen a spider like this before. I love spiders
so I caught it in a jar took it to Fresno State University hoping some
one could help confirm that it was a Huntsmen or Olios giganteus.
Unfortunately we only have a bug guy and no spider guys. So he was no
help. He said just to let it go outside. We have a allergy free garden
which I hope they don't spray with pesticides and let him go there.
Enjoy the picture.

..

Reply: This looks like a huntsman
- glen

19 December 2013: Hi,
We currently live in Perth Western Australia (Floreat Suburb). What kind of spider is this?
Thanks,
Scott

..

Reply: This is probably a huntsman - glen

10 August, 2013: Hi I saw your website on spiders and me and my family found this in Cyprus on holiday and were wondering if you could tell us what it is?
Thanks, James

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Reply: This is a huntsman - glen

10 August, 2013: Hi Glen
Have found this spider in my house. Can you identify it.

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Reply: This is a huntsman - glen

10 August, 2013: Hi Glen I wasnt sure if this was the same fella as
the one on your website so thought I'd sent you a pic. It was
spotted on a wall in a small church up in the forested hills
(pine) of the Paphos district of Cyprus. Scared us to death
after we realised he/she wasn't part of the painting on an
Icon!! :) Thankyou Junie

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Reply: This is a huntsman - glen

17 May, 2013: Hi
I just found your website while i was browsing. a friend of mine send me this pic. and i found it hard to belive cause it is so big that i never saw this size. the spider run away and they could not fiso soon.nd it and they r scared. would u pls tell me what kind of spider it is? thank u very much waiting to hear from u

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Reply: This is a huntsman - glen

17 May, 2013: Really need your help!!!! Please can u tell me what this spider is .... Got a dead one at home so can send more pics if need be! I have found three around the house! They really freak me out! The pull their bodies in and the looks extremely tiny until they move and spread their legs and bodies out! They really are freaky lil creatures! Will send another pic or 2 later to make it easier!
Sent via my BlackBerry from Vodacom - let your email find you!

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Reply: This could be a huntsman - glen

17 May, 2013: Hi!
I live in San Diego, California in the mission hills area, over looking the bay, and have never seen anything like this. Can you please help? I found this spider on my bedroom wall. I know I shouldn't have killed him but he was very aggressive and I was scared to get bit! Needless to say he went for a swim.
Thanks
Dan

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Reply: This could be a huntsman - glen

17 May, 2013: I'm in Northern California and my friend just moved into a new house and found this spider. We have no idea what it is. Can you help?

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Reply: This looks like a huntsman - glen

13 April, 2013: could you tell me what kind this is please I would really appreciate it

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Reply: This could be a huntsman - glen

13 April, 2013: Hi Glen,
I live in Vero Beach, Florida and I have been finding quite a few of these huge but flat like a pancake spiders in and around my back yard & around my daughters playhouse. We do have a lot of oak trees in our yard as well. I just need to know if it's dangerous? This is the 4th one I have found in the past week. I'm ready to put my house up for sale! Hope you can email me back with good news that its safe to let my kids play again in my back yard.
Thank you,
Laurie

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Reply: This is could be a huntsman - glen

13 April, 2013: could you tell me what kind this is please I would really appreciate it

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Reply: This is a huntsman - glen

13 April, 2013: I live in 29 Palms, CA and my son Jeremy killed this
spider. Do you know what it is?

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Reply: This is a huntsman, the
others are a wolf spider and a tarantula - glen

13 April, 2013: these spiders are from our trip to Panama this Feb. can you tell us if they are venomous and what kind are they. thanks

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Reply: It think this is a huntsman - glen

20 December, 2012:
Wow thx 4 the reply - I never expected it - I hav another weird lil guy we found (was already dead) mayb u know what this dude is - thx

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Reply: This looks like huntsman
too- glen

20 December, 2012:
This 1 was alive - neighbor ask me 2 help since she
knows I'm not scared - I don't kill them either (only flies -
eeeew). Anyway - not sure if its the same - was like a week
apart and was same size thou - we freed this 1 thou. (?)

..

Reply: This looks like huntsman
too- glen

20 December, 2012:
I live in Florida, and this spider was in a box on my back porch. Leg tip to leg tip was about 6 inches maybe. I have looked on all the spider sites but can't seem to find it. I thought it might be a nursery web spider, but I am not sure. Thanks.
--
Veralynne

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Reply: This looks like huntsman
too- glen

20 December, 2012:
Hi, Can you help me identify the spider in the
attached photo? I live in Cape Coral, Southwest Florida. Thanks
for any help! Jerry

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Reply: It looks like huntsman - glen

20 December, 2012: doesn't seem like any other huntsman i've seen in these parts (gold coast)...

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Reply: It looks like huntsman but
not sure - glen

3 November, 2012:
Found in the Hajar Mountains Oman. Please could you identify this Spider..
Thanks,
Matt

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Reply: It is a huntsman - glen

3 November, 2012:
Hi Glen
I found this one in our bathroom this morning, exactly the same as the one sent in by Dru, and just a mile down the road from his location of San Marcos La Laguna, Lake Atitlan Guatemala. It was about 4-5 inches in diameter legspan and seemed pretty fast. It didn’t seem aggressive, and was caught and released into the coffee plantation. Gave my girlfriend a bit of a shock when she found it in the bath though!
Cheers
Mark

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Reply: It is a huntsman - glen

3 November, 2012:
I came across this spider at the showers in the Picacho Peak campground (in Tucson, AZ)
this past week. It was about the size of my palm. Just curious
about what it might be. I’m not a fan of spiders, so I took the
picture and then went away. Thank you, Shannon.

..

25 Sept, 2012:I live in Bermuda btw have 3 yr old and want to make sure
nothing is dangerous

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Reply: It is a huntsman (Neosparassus
species) - glen

26 August, 2012:
Hi there.
My name is Mark, and I live in the San Gabriel Mountains, San Bernardino County, California. I attached a pic of a spider to this email, and I wonder if you can identify this species. I spend a lot of time outdoors, and have been studying wildlife since I was a child, but never came across this species of spider, until I moved to the house I live in now. The spider depicted on this pic is an adult, which I have seen numerous times, and was caught inside my house, a couple of days ago. Thank you for your help. Take care.

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Reply: It looks like a huntsman
(Neosparassus species) - glen

26 August, 2012:
Hey,
I took these photos of a big spider that we found at our lake house. I cannot identify it. I don't think this is a wolf spider due to the web, which is two to three feet in concentric circles. It is approximately 2-3" leg-tip to leg-tip. Body is 1.5" long. Pretty aggressive if you get close (raises its front legs).
It's bigger than what I've seen before. Any thoughts?
Thanks,
Kevin

..

Reply: It looks like a huntsman (Neosparassus
species) - glen

19 June, 2012:
I have a spider I can't identify it spins a nasty cocoon for its egg its big but small for a tarantula e

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Reply: It is a huntsman - glen

19 August, 2012:
Hi Glen
Well I hope you are having a great year. I havent said hi in a while and have been quite busy with moving and all that I have had a hard time keeping up with my site. Luckily I have gotten a lot of spiders I know and none I couldnt identify in a long time. Well, until the other day that is... :o)
Someone sent me this picture and I couldnt quite figure it out. My first thought was either a Fishing Spider or a Wolf Spider. However, I could not find any pics of either of those spiders to match this one. The main differences that stand out are .... 1) The Cephalothorax has a more distinct pattern than the pics I find of those spiders. 2) Even the legs seem to have a more distinct pattern with a clearer separation between the colors.
Would you be able to help me identify this one?
Thank-you very much for your time.
Ken

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Reply: It is a huntsman - glen

19 June, 2012:
Hi Glen, We are in Tucson, AZ. This morning my wife
was adjusting the porch chair cushions and found this guy
between two cushions. About 3" across. I put him in a white
plastic pail so I could photo better but when I was focusing
close-up he came charging up the side of the pail. I jumped out
of his way. He was really, really fast and I let him do as he
wished---so off he went into some bushes.

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Reply: It is a banded huntsman - glen

19 June, 2012:
I found this spider in Saint Cloud, FL after moving an object on a patio that had not been moved for a long time. Can you help me identify it?

..

Reply: It is a huntsman - glen

19 June, 2012:
Glen,
Thanks so much, you have a great site. Will try to get better picture next time I run into her. Like I said I have seen plenty of the standard Cane spiders like the one below.
Kevin

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Reply: It is probably a huntsman - glen

19 June, 2012:
Glen,
It seems you are the spider expert on the internet. I have found the spider in the attached picture (Big Island of Hawaii) and was puzzled because it did not look like the usual Cane spider that is prevalent all over the place. Sorry it isn't a great picture being from the side but I was hoping for an identification. From what I can tell going through your and other photos it is a female Cane spider (Brown Huntsman). Anyway, it was big and hairy and I just wanted to know what it was.
Thanks for your time,
Kevin

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Reply: It is a huntsman - glen

30 May, 2012:
We have found a couple of spiders just like this one. This one has a missing leg, but that is how it was when we found it. The body (not including the legs) is about 1 inch long. All of the ones we have found have been pretty big, but I think this one is the biggest. We live in the Sierra Mountains of California in a town called North Fork. We are at about 3000 ft elevation. Thank you for any information you can give to us.
Sincerely,
Nancy

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Reply: It is a huntsman - glen

7 May, 2012: Hi, I’m in Fresno, California and I’ve found this in my living room…

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Reply: Yes it is a huntsman - glen

7 May, 2012: Hi Glen,
Do you know what kind of spider this might be?
It is in the house of my friend in the Philippines, possibly around Manila.
She says she has seen cane spiders, and that's not what it is.
It looks like some at the site: http://www.spiderzrule.com/huntsman08.htm
Roxanne

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Reply: I'd say it is some sort
of huntsman - glen

7 May, 2012: Hi there!
I am an expat living in Malaysia and I've found these spiders around my home. They're quite large, around 5 to 6 inches across with hairy legs. Could you tell me if they're venomous? I have kids and a dog, yet at the same time I don't want to call pest control over a harmless spider. I could not get a good look at the underside, but from the glimpse I had there doesn't seem to be any bright markings. Thanks a bunch!
Melissa

..

Reply: This is a huntsman too (Neosparassus
species) - glen

15 April, 2012:Hello
I was wondering if you could help me identify this spider I encountered while in Costa Rica a few days ago. Thanks
Jason

..

Reply: This is a huntsman - glen

15 April, 2012:Hello,
I live in southern Georgia and I took this photo of a spider that was just under the siding on my house. I found a black widow the other day and now I am freaking out because this spider was huge. Its body was almost an inch long and with the legs stretched out it would have been almost four inches. As you can see it was having a caterpillar snack. There was no web nearby. Can you please tell me what kind of spider it is and should I be afraid of it?
Thanks so much and you can use the photo for anything you want.
Melinda from Georgia

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Reply: This one is a huntsman - glen

15 April, 2012:Hi,
Found this little fellow outside my room (live in South Africa). If
possible can you please identify it and comment on whether it is
dangerous?
Thanks

..

Reply: Given where you live I'd
say this one is a huntsman - glen

15 April, 2012:Hello,
Can you please identify this spider. This is the second one in a month. This is smaller than the first but look exactly the same. I would say the one pictured is no bigger than quarter size. I live in south Florida.
Thank you for your help, Kyle

Another Reply from Laura: Possibly a giant crab spider (Sparassidae)? I don't know where the photo was taken but found one similar called
Olios Milleti Pocock
from India.

Reply: I have never seen a spider
like this one before!!- glen

11 March, 2012: an you tall me Wat spider this is plz

..

Reply: This is a huntsman
(Neosparassus species)- glen

11 March, 2012: Hello,
My name is Pearl and we live in Northern CA and found this spider in a large shade umbrella in our back yard. We would like to id it if possible as we have 3 small children and lots of activity in that location.
Just so ur aware, the spider was not harmed. I merely would prefer to be as informed and knowledgeable as possible.
Thank u so much for ur time.
Pearl